TN 

403 

H+C3 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  KENTUCKY 

N.  S.  SHALER,  DIKKOTOK. 


NOTES  ON  THE 


COAL  AND  IRON  ORES 


OF 


WESTERN  KENTUCKY. 

BY  WM.  B.   CALDWELL,  JR., 

• 
METALLURGIST   OF   THE   KENTUCKY    GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


JOHN    D.    WOODS,    PUBLIC    PRINTER    AND    BINDER,    FRANKFORT,    KY. 


EXCHANGE 


IRON  ORES  AND  COALS— ADVANTAGES  OF  WESTERN 
KENTUCKY  FOR  THE  MANUFACTURE  OF  IRON. 


BY   W.    B.    CALDWELL,    JB. 

[From  the  Courier-Journal,  March  9,  1878.] 

"The  Report  of   W.  B.   Caldwell,  Jr.,   Metallurgist  of   the 
Kentucky  Geological  Survey,  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this 
issue.     We  bespeak  for  this  exceedingly  valuable  paper  a  very 
attentive  perusal.     It  furnishes  an  exhibit  of  some  of  our  most 
important  resources  (coal  and  iron),   which,  coming  from  the 
source  it  does,  can  not  fail  to  attract  attention  abroad.     It  is  a 
document  which  should  be  printed  in  pamphlet  form  and  scat- 
tered far  and   wide,  in  the  United  States  and  Europe.      Mr. 
Caldwell  is  a  thoroughly  accomplished  and  experienced  metal- 
lurgist, his  theoretical  knowledge  having  been  acquired  at  the 
great  schools  of  science  and  art  in  Berlin,   and  his  practical 
knowledge  having  been  obtained  in  the  iron-works  of  Silesia. 
He  has  been  engaged  by  the  Chattanooga  Steel  and  Iron  Works 
as  the  chemist  of  the  establishment,  and  he  will  make  his  head- 
quarters there  upon  the  completion  of  the  steel  furnace  of  the 
company.      This  change  will  not,   however,   deprive  the  Geo- 
logical Survey  of  Kentucky  of  Mr.  Cald well's  valuable  services. 
In  the  Northwestern  States  they  trumpet  throughout  the  world 
their  great  resources  in  wheat-producing  lands,  and  keep  them 
ever  before  the  public  by  means  of  pamphlets,  newspapers,  and 
circulars.     We  have  in  Kentucky  more  durable  and  valuable 
resources  than  those  States,  and  they  can  only  be  developed  by 
letting  the  world  know  what   they  are.     Our  coal  and  iron 
region  is  immense  and  exhaustless.     The  facilities  for  working 
it  are  remarkable.     We  have  only  to  force  the  facts  relating  to 
their  abundance  upon  the  attention  of  capitalists,  and  our  State 
will  be  put  forward  half  a  century  in  progress." 

321333 


2-  ••••*/'.*"..*::  ..  -"Mfip'N  ORES  AND  COALS 

Professor  N.  S.  SHALER, 

Director  of  Kentucky  Geological  Survey : 

DEAR  SIR  :  I  desire  to  submit  the  following  preliminary 
report  upon  the  iron  ores  and  coals  of  Western  Kentucky,  in 
regard  to  their  value,  more  especially  for  the  production  of 
iron.  My  aim  has  been  to  bring  into  notice  what  must  be  an 
exceedingly  important  iron  district,  when  once  the  industry 
is  started.  The  previously  published  reports  of  the  Survey 
have  been  of  the  greatest  service  in  preparing  this  paper,  and 
my  thanks  are  due  the  writers  ;  but  I  must  especially  acknowl- 
edge the  kindness  of  Mr.  Jno.  R.  Procter  for  valuable  informa- 
tion and  assistance. 

Respectfully, 

W.  B.  CALDWELL,  JR.,  Metallurgist. 


In  view  of  the  fact  that  iron  is  down  to  a  point  at  which 
furnaces,  running  with  the  brightest  prospects  five  years  since, 
can  no  longer  clear  expenses,  and  that  capital  and  skill  inter- 
ested in  the  industry  have  been  looking  for  new  localities, 
where  the  main  point  may  be  secured,  viz :  a  profit,  however 
small,  I  wish  to  call  attention  to  a  deposit  of  coal  and  iron 
undeveloped,  and,  indeed  unknown,  except  in  so  far  as  it  has 
already  been  brought  to  notice  by  the  Reports  of  the  Ken- 
tucky Geological  Survey.  These  Reports  have  been  the  result 
of  careful  study  of  the  region  by  the  Survey  officers,  especially 
Mr.  P.  N.  Moore,  Mr.  C.  J.  Norwood,  and  J.  R.  Procter,  who 
have  located  the  ores  and  coals,  and  sent  samples  to  the  chem- 
ists, Dr.  Robert  Peter  and  Mr.  J.  H.  Talbutt,  the  result  of  the 
investigations  being  undoubted  evidence  that  the  State  of 
Kentucky  possesses,  in  her  western  iron  and  coal  field,  an 
amount  of  undeveloped  wealth  of  too  great  importance  to  be 
overlooked.  There  remains,  however,  much  work  to  be  done 
in  Western  as  well  as  in  the  rich  coal  and  iron  regions  of  East- 
ern and  Southeastern  Kentucky,  and  just  at  this  time  it  is 
of  especial  importance ;  for  these  districts  should  be  brought 
to  the  notice  of  capital  seeking  such  investment.  A  few  thou- 
sand dollars  spent  by  the  State  in  proving  her  wealth  and 
advantages,  is  insignificant  in  comparison  with  the  hundreds  of 


OF    WESTERN    KENTUCKY.  & 

thousands  which  should  come  from  the  East  to  develop  the  iron 
and  coal. 

After  giving  a  short  account  of  the  coals  and  ores,  which  are 
fully  described,  with  analyses,  in  the  Survey  Reports,  I  will 
consider  two  or  three  points  in  the  Western  coal  field,  possess- 
ing unusual  advantages  for  the  iron  industry ;  but  there  are 
others  which  may  be  found  to  possess  as  great  or  greater. 

It  will  be  acknowledged  by  all  that  the  following  are  the 
essential  points  for  the  production  of  cheap  iron :  a  good 
coking  coal,  which  can  be  cheaply  mined  and  handled ;  abun- 
dant supply  of  iron  ore,  sufficiently  rich  and  pure,  lying  con- 
tiguous to  the  coal,  or  which  can  be  brought  to  it  at  very  low 
rates ;  pure  limestone ;  cheap  labor  of  a  good  class  ;  abundant 
water  supply  ;  and  low  freight  to  a  good  and  near  iron  market. 
These  advantages  are  possessed,  to  an  unusual  degree,  by 
Western  Kentucky,  as  the  following  facts  and  figures  will  show, 
and  comparison  with  some  other  localities  claiming  to  be  the 
cheapest  iron  regions  in  the  world. 

COALS. 

An  outline  description  of  the  coal  field  is  given  by  Mr.  Nor- 
wood in  the  Survey  Reports,  with  numerous  analyses  by  Dr. 
Peter  and  Mr.  Talbutt ;  but  our  Survey  officers  have  been,  in 
many  cases,  strict  in  taking  samples ;  for  in  many  of  the  coal 
veins  the  sulphur  occurs  (as  pyrites)  in  heavy  partings,  and 
would  be  thrown  out  in  mining ;  whereas,  they  have  taken  the 
entire  vein  as  it  comes,  thus  making  the  percentage  of  .sulphur 
strictly  correct  as  it  lies  in  the  bed,  but  higher  than  it  would  be 
in  the  coal  with  ordinarily  good  mining.  For  this  reason  the 
analyses  show  more  sulphur  than  is  given  by  other  Geological 
Survey  analyses  of  similar  coals,  which,  when  sampled  by  the 
same  person  who  sampled  Kentucky  coals,  showed  as  much 
sulphur. 

The  Kentucky  coals  give  an  excellent  coke,  bright  and  firm, 
and  even  those  highest  sulphur  would  give,  when  washed,  as 
good  coke  as  the  celebrated  Connellsville.  Coal  washing  is  now 
so  generally  practiced,  and  can  be  done  so  cheaply — less  than 
ten  cents  per  ton — washing  three  or  four  hundred  tons  per  day, 


4  IRON    ORES    AND    COALS 

that  it  will  certainly  be  done  in  Western  Kentucky,  and  the 
coke  will  then  be  unexcelled. 

The  Western  coal  field  embraces  about  4,000  square  miles,  and 
contains  twelve  veins,  mostly  workable,  some  at  one  part  of  the 
basin,  others  at  another.  Perhaps  it  would  give  a  better  idea 
of  the  extent  of  the  coal  field  to  say  that  it  takes  in  nine  coun- 
ties entirely,  and  parts  of  five  others.  The  coal  can  be  mined 
along  the  railroads  by  shallow  shafting,  striking  Nos.  11  and 
9  ;  but  at  a  short  distance  from  the  road  the  hills  allow  drift- 
ing, as  at  the  Crabtree,  Paradise,  and  many  other  mines. 

The  industry  is  growing  rapidly,  and  the  city  of  Louisville 
already  uses  large  quantities  of  this  coal,  thus  keeping  in  the 
State  thousands  of  dollars  which  would  go  to  Pennsylvania  ; 
but,  what  is  vastly  more  important,  the  price  of  coal  is  kept 
at  a  low  figure,  enabling  our  manufactories  to  live,  and  the 
iriines  employ  hundreds  of  men,  to  whom  at  least  half  a  mil- 
lion dollars  yearly  are  paid  out. 

The  old  Reports  by  D.  D.  Owen  used  numbers  to  designate 
the  veins,  beginning  with  the  lowest  in  the  series  ;  but  the  new 
Reports,  by  Professor  N.  S.  Shaler,  begin  at  the  highest  coal, 
and  use  letters ;  thus  Coal  A,  of  the  new  Reports,  corresponds 
to  No.  12  of  the  old  series. 

The  most  important  of  the  upper  coals,  so  far  as  experience 
would  indicate,  are  A,  B,  and  D,  or,  by  Owen's  numbering,  12, 
11,  and  9. 

Of  these,  No.  12,  or  A,  the  highest  workable  coal  in  the 
series,  was  worked  by  Mr.  Alexander  at  Paradise,  on  Green 
river,  twenty  years  ago,  but  is  not  mined  now.  It  is  a  bright, 
hard,  bituminous  coal,  which  gives  an  excellent  coke.  A  sam- 
ple of  coke  made  at  Airdrie  Furnace  twenty  years  ago,  and 
exposed  to  the  weather  ever  since  (see  Mr.  P.  N.  Moore's  Re- 
port of  Airdrie  Furnace  Property,  vol.  2,  new  series),  gave  the 
following  analysis : 

Per  cent. 

Moisture  at  212° 7.50 

Moisture  at  redness 4 . 20 

Fixed  carbon 82  90 

Ash 5.40 

100.00 
Sulphur 0.64 


OF    WESTERN    KENTUCKY. 


This  is  probably  as  pure  as  any  coal  in  the  basin,  and  com- 
pares favorably  with  any  soft  coal  in  the  country.  A  sample 
taken,  as  usual,  the  entire  thickness  of  the  vein,  including 
everything,  gave — 


Per  cent. 
4.15 

Volatile  combustible  matter                       

33.14 

55.71 

Ash                                      

7  00 

Sulohur   . 

100.00 
1.87 

The  vein  can  be  mined  at  Airdrie  by  drifting. 

Next  below  this  coal  comes  B,  or  No.  11,  a  very  persistent 
vein,  six  feet  thick  ;  a  good,  bright  coal,  but  containing  slightly 
more  sulphur  than  No.  12.  It  is  the  coal  mined  by  Gen.  Buell 
at  Airdrie,  on  Green  river,  and  also  by  several  companies  along 
the  railroads. 

An  average  of  samples,  taken  the  entire  thickness  of  the  vein 
at  Paradise,  gave— 

Per  cent. 

Moisture . 2.25 

Volatile  combustible  matter 41.54 

Fixed  carbon , ....        50.62 

Ash 5.64 

Sulphur 2.98 

A  lot  of  slack  from  St.  Bernard  mines,  Earlington,  Kentucky  y 
No.  11  coal,  washed  and  coked,  gave  a  good,  bright  coke,  with 
1.06  per  cent,  sulphur,  showing  that  even  the  refuse,  when 
washed,  makes  a  good  coke. 

The  next  coal  of  importance  is  D,  or  No.  9.  This  is  probably 
the  most  persistent  and  uniform  coal  of  the  series  ;  is  from  four 
to  six  feet  thick,  averaging  live  feet,  but  contains  more  sulphur 
than  12  or  11.  It  is,  however,  an  excellent  coal  for  grate  and 
furnace,  and  gives  a  good  coke.  A  lot  of  slack  from  this  vein, 
from  St.  Bernard  mines,  Earlington,  Kentucky,  washed  and 
coked,  gave  a  bright,  firm  coke,  with  only  1  per  cent,  sulphur. 
In  some  places  coals  8  and  7,  or  E  and  F,  are  from  four  to  five 
feet  thick,  and  of  unusually  good  quality ;  but,  generally 
speaking,  the  coals  below  9  are  not  important  in  regard  to  the 
subject  of  this  paper,  until  we  come  down  to  L  (or  No.  1  B,  of 


6  IRON    ORES    AND    COALS 

Owen),  a  hard,  bright  coal,  resembling  somewhat  the  Indiana 
"  block  coal"  in  appearance,  and  giving  a  very  similar  analysis  : 
Coaltown  Bank,  Christian  county,  gave — 

Per  cent. 

Moisture 4.85 

Volatile  combustible  matter 32 . 22 

Fixed  carbon 55.03 

Ash  .  7.90 


100.00 
Sulphur 1.37 

Sample  of  Indiana  block  coal  gave — 

Per  cent. 

Moisture 2.68 

Volatile  combustible  matter 36  32 

Fixed  carbon 53.58 

Ash 7.42 

100.00 
Sulphur 1.80 

Sample  from  Edmonson  county— 

Per  cent. 

Moisture 4.06 

Volatile  combustible  matter 33 . 24 

Fixed  carbon 51 . 70 

Ash 11  06 

Sulphur 1.67 

With  an  unlimited  supply  of  coal  of  excellent  quality  for 
iron-making,  and  as  cheaply  mined  and  handled  as  this  may 
be,  with  transportation  facilities  by  rail  and  river  unequaled 
by  any  iron  region,  it  only  requires,  to  prove  the  existence  of 
abundant  supplies  of  iron  ore  of  sufficient  richness  and  purity, 
to  show  that  this  must  inevitably  be  a  great  iron-producing 
region  in  the  future ;  for  its  nearness  to  several  markets,  espe- 
cially Louisville,  gives  it  great  advantages  over  more  distant 
points,  where  iron  might  even  be  made  at  a  lower  figure. 

IRON  ORES. 

The  ores  are  exceedingly  numerous  and  varied  in  character, 
from  material  almost  too  lean  to  be  called  ore,  up  to  rich,  pure, 
brown  hematites  or  limonites. 

They  may  be  divided  into  two  clas  es : 

First.    Coal-measure  ores,   which  occur  in   the  coal-bearing 


OF    WESTERN    KENTUCKY.  7 

formations,  either  stratified  with  them,  and  having  great  extent, 
or  confined  to  one  locality  as  local  deposits  or  pockets. 

Second.  Limestone  ores,  occurring  below  the  coal,  in  the 
limestone  of  the  Sub-carboniferous,  as  in  Caldwell,  Lyon,  and 
Trigg  counties,  along  the  Cumberland  river,  where  a  very  pure, 
rich,  brown  hematite  occurs  in  the  form  of  pot-ore.  A  brown 
hematite  ore  of  good  quality  occurs  in  the  Chester  Group  in 
Edmonson  county. 

COAL-MEASURE   ORES. 

The  coal-measure  ores  are  so  numerous  that  it  would  be 
useless  to  attempt  a  full  description  of  them  here  (as  they  are 
fully  described  in  the  Survey  Reports),  so  I  will  only  describe 
a  few  prominent  ones,  stating,  however,  that  those  mentioned 
are  not  necessarily  the  best,  but  they  happen  to  be  convenient 
for  transportation  to  {joints  which  will  be  mentioned  later  as 
good  locations  for  furnaces. 

These  ores  occur  principally  in  Muhlenberg  and  Edmonson 
counties. 

In  Edmonson,  between  the  Nolin  river  and  Bear  creek,  a 
ridge  about  fifteen  miles  long  and  five  miles  wide,  carries  sev- 
eral beds  of  good  ore,  altered  carbonates  probably,  which 
appear  as  limonites  on  the  outcrop,  but  may  run  into  carbon- 
ates when  sufficiently  under  cover.  There  was  a  charcoal 
furnace  in  this  locality  formerly,  and  samples  from  two  of 
their  old  mines  or  banks  show  the  good  quality  of  the  ore  : 


First 
per  cent. 

Second 
per  cent. 

Metallic  iron 

40  48 

36  50 

"Water    

12.18 

8.90 

Silica  

14.36 

17.82 

Phosphorus 

0  41 

0.21 

Roasted  ore  o'ives  metallic  iron 

46  10 

40  00 

An  excellent  ore,  occurring  between  two  branches  of   Syca- 
more creek,  in  the  same  locality,  but  a  limited  deposit,  gives — 

Per  cent. 

Metallic  iron 53.40 

Silica 7.66 

Phosphorus 0.46 


8  IRON    GEES    AND    COALS 

A  bed  of  ore,  called  "Federic  Bank,"  is  very  similar  to  first 
and  second  old  Nolin  Furnace  banks,  in  composition  and  char- 
acter, except  that  it  is  much  higher  in  silica,  on  the  outcrop  at 
least : 

Per  cent. 

Metallic  iron 42 . 31 

Silica 22.40 

Water 10.29 

Lime 1.21 

Alumina 4  88 

Phosphorus 0.28 

This  being  over  three  feet  in  thickness,  could  be  mined  very 
cheaply,  and  is  only  a  short  distance  from  water. 

In  Muhlenberg  county  there  are  many  ores  of  excellent  qual- 
ity, accessible  by  rail  or  river,  and  easily  mined. 

On  the  farm  of  J.  M.  Hope,  on  Mud  river,  is  an  outcrop  sev- 
eral feet  in  thickness,  running  through  a  ridge  and  cropping 
out  on  the  other  side,  about  a  mile  distant.  Leaving  out  the 
upper  two  or  three  feet  of  the  bed,  which  is  most  silicious,  the 
other  part,  some  four  or  live  feet  thick,  gives— 

Per  cent. 

Metallic  iron 45.10 

Alumina 6.98 

Water 12.31 

Silica 14  20 

Phosphorus 0.39 

This  is  probably  the  same  ore  as  the  Federic  Bank,  Edmon- 
son  county,  and  the  indications  are  that  this  ore  extends  over  a 
very  wide  area,  cropping  out  wherever  its  geological  position 
would  bring  it  to  the  surface. 

Near  Greenville,  about  three  miles  from  the  Elizabethtown 
and  Paducah  Railroad,  is  a  deposit  some  eight  inches  thick  of 
an  excellent  ore,  which  could  be  easily  mined  for  $1.25  per  ton, 
as  it  would  have  to  be  done  by  stripping.  Most  of  the  ores  in 
the  celebrated  Hocking  Valley,  Ohio,  region  are  mined  in  that 
way  at  that  price  ;  indeed,  few  ores  in  that  region  are  of  greater 
thickness,  and  scarcely  any  of  them  so  good  as  this  ore  near 
Greenville,  which  gives— 

Per  cent. 

Metallic  iron 48.88 

Alumina 3.91 

Water 11,25 

Insoluble    .  12.73 


OF    WESTERN    KENTUCKY. 


9 


Over  No.  12  coal  occurs  an  ore  called  Blackbank,  about  12 
inches  thick,  which  is  a  slightly  bituminous  carbonate,  giving 
a  limonite  on  the  outcrop.  A  sample  taken  from  the  bed 
(analysis  1)  and  a  sample  from  roasted  stock-pile,  at  Airdrie 
Furnace,  weathered  twenty  years  (analysis  2),  gave  as  fol- 
lows : 


_   :  _    -        1  -  - 


Metallic  iron 

Alumina 

Water 

Insoluble 

Lime 

Magnesia 

Phosphorus 


First 
per  cent. 


Second 
per  cent. 


43.12 
3.10 

25.40 
3.01 

4.58 
0  23 


There  are  very  many  other  coal- measure  ores  which  are  val- 
uable and  accessible ;  but  enough  has  been  mentioned  to  show 
their  numjber  and  good  quality.  Silica  is  rather  high,  but  they 
fortunately  carry  considerable  alumina  and  lime. 

The  Cumberland  river  or  limestone  ore  is  the  most  valuable 
and  important  in  the  region,  as  there  is  an  inexhaustible  supply 
accessible  by  rail  and  river,  and  the  quality  such  as  to  have 
already  given  it  a  high  reputation.  The  amount  of  phos- 
phorus varies  from  0.065  per  cent,  up  to  0.19  per  cent.,  the 
variation  apparently  not  dependent  on  other  impurities.  Tne 
percentage  of  iron  also  varies  somewhat,  as  some  of  the  beds 
contain  considerable  chert ;  but  this  can  be  largely  separated 
by  careful  mining,  and  give  an  ore  with  fifty  per  cent,  metal- 
lic iron.  The  ore  occurs  as  broken  masses  of  " pot "  and  ''kid- 
ney" mixed  with  chert  rock,  in  immense  beds  or  masses,  and 
is  mined  by  quarrying  very  cheaply.  Such  a  deposit  is  cut  by 
the  railroad  at  Kuttawa,  and  a  sample  taken  by  Mr.  Moore,  an 
average  of  the  bed,  gave  analysis  (1).  A  sample  taken  by  my- 
self, of  the  ore  as  it  would  be  mined,  leaving  out  lumps  of  chert, 
gave  analysis  (2).  Samples  3  and  4  were  taken  from  an  old 
bank  used  by  the  old  furnace — 3  taken  by  Moore,  an  average 
of  bed ;  4  by  myself,  showing  ore  as  it  should  be  mined  ;  5, 
analysis  by  Otto  Wuth,  of  Pittsburg,  of  same  ore  from  near 
Princeton,  Caldwell  county. 


IKON    ORES    AXD    COALS 


ELEMENTS 

PER    CENT. 

First. 

Second. 

Third. 

Fourth. 

Fifth. 

Iron  oxide  

66.12 

69.80 

71  20 

69  46 

Al  tun  ina 

1  00 

2  98 

3  01 

3  75 

Lime 

2  12 

2  87 

4  16 

AI  agnosia 

1  72 

65 

1  54 

Water     

9  80 

10  83 

9  83 

10.98 

Silica  ... 

22.33 

11  98 

18  91 

12  10 

8  97 

Metallic  iron     
Phosphorus 

46.28 
0  18 

48  86 
0  09 

49.36 
0  12 

49  84 
0  09 

48.62 
0  07 

In  Trigg  county,  near  the  old  Center  Furnace,  a  sample  taken 
from  one  of  the  old  banks  gave — 

Per  cent- 
Metallic  iron  50.195 

Water.    .    ". 9.630 

Silica 16.960 

Phosphorus ....        0.095 

Several  other  analyses,  made  by  myself  for  phosphorus, 
show  that  this  bete  noir  of  the  iron  industry  varies  in  these 
ores  from  different  parts  of  the  bed,  but  no  analysis  gave  over 
0.2  of  1  per  cent. 

In  regard  to  locations  well  adapted  for  furnace  sites,  there 
are  many  which  promise  well ;  but  I  will  only  consider  two  or 
three,  the  advantage  of  which  can  be  easily  shown. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  of  these,  Airdrie  Furnace,  on  the 
bank  of  Green  river,  three  miles  above  Rockport,  the  crossing 
of  the  E.  and  P.  R.  R.,  has  been  described  by  Mr.  P.  N.  Moore 
in  his  report  on  Airdrie  Furnace  Property,  vol.  II,  Kentucky 
Geological  Reports.  The  furnace  was  built  and  properly  im- 
proved by  Mr.  Alexander,  twenty  years  ago,  at  great  cost,  and 
has  been  a  serious  injury  to  the  region,  as  the  enterprise  was  an 
utter  failure.  This  was,  however,  owing  to  the  ignorance  and 
mismanagement  of  the  superintendent,  who  attempted  the  use 
of  raw  coal  with  the  silicious  ore  overlying  No.  12  coal,  and 
failure  was  almost  inevitable  on  a  hot  blast.  Having  made 
one  attempt  and  failed,  the  next  step  should  have  been  to  coke 


OF    WESTERN    KENTUCKY.  11 

the  coal,  and  mix  some  better  ore  with  his  black  band  ;  but  the 
furnace  was  blown  in  three  times  on  raw  coal  and  black  band 
ore,  and,  after  a  total  run  of  six  weeks  (in  all,  three  cam- 
paigns), the  proprietor  closed  the  works.  The  iron  made  was 
silver-gray,  with  from  5  to  10  per  cent,  silicon,  and  about  0.40 
per  cent,  phosphorus. 

This  would  be  an  admirable  starting  point  for  the  iron  indus- 
try of  the  region,  as  it  would  require  comparatively  little 
capital  to  put  the  entire  plant  in  running  order.  The  improve- 
ments are:  a  stack  (blast  furnace)  in  good  condition,  of  the 
following  dimensions :  height,  fifty  feet ;  diameter  bosh,  seven- 
teen feet ;  open  top,  no  down  takes  for  gases ;  pipes,  still  in 
good  condition,  of  old  hot-blast  stoves  ;  four  steam  boilers, 
twenty-eight  feet  by  forty  inches;  blowing  engine,  vertical, 
steam  cylinder  below,  twenty  inches  in  diameter,  nine  foot 
stroke;  blast  cylinder,  six  feet  ten  inches  in  diameter,  nine- 
foot  stroke,  all  in  good  condition  in  a  good  stone  building  ;  four 
hundred  feet  shaft,  with  engine  for  raising  material,  coal  or  ore, 
the  shaft  cutting  through  No.  9  and  No.  5  coals— No.  9.  being 
five  feet  thick,  and  No.  5  3J  feet — and  said  to  strike  a  four-foot 
vein  of  ore,  supposed  to  be  same  as  Hope  ore,  of  Edmonson 
county.  The  top  of  the  furnace  is  on  a  level  with  the  No.  11 
coal,  and  No.  12  was  brought,  by  a  short  tunnel,  to  the  same 
mine  entrance,  the  entry  being  within  thirty  yards  of  tunnel- 
head.  To  put  the  plant  in  running  order,  and  make  some 
modern  improvements,  should  not  cost  over  $40,000,  if  so  much, 
and  a  company  starting  here  could  obtain  the  use  of  furnace 
plant  and  mineral  rights  on  the  most  reasonable  terms  from 
General  Buell. 

They  would  start  with  the  great  advantage  of  having,  already 
for  use,  roads,  laborers'  houses,  etc.;  mines,  being  worked, 
producing  four  or  five  thousand  bushels  of  coal  per  day ;  a 
stock  pile  of  several  thousand  bushels  of  coke  and  roasted 
ore,  etc. 

The  situation  on  the  river  bank  opens  the  entire  Green  River 
Valley  to  it,  and  the  E.  and  P.  R.  R.  crossing,  only  three  miles 
distant,  at  Rockport,  gives  every  facility  for  transportation. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  location  has  a  great  extent  of  ore-bear- 
ing country  tributary  to  it,  and,  as  the  ores  are  very  varied, 


12  IRON    ORES    AND    COALS 

the  furnace  could  receive  any  mixture  desired.  Of  course, 
experience  and  the  market  demand  would  show  'whether  it 
would  be  more  profitable  to  use  impure  coke  and  cheaper, 
poorer  ores,  and  produce  a  cheaper  grade  of  iron,  or  to  wash 
the  coal  before  coking  and  select  better  ores,  although  more 
expensive,  and  produce  a  higher  grade  of  iron.  Certain  ores 
are  adapted  for  certain  grades  of  pig  metal,  and  it  is  generally 
a  great  mistake  to  attempt  to  use  them  for  anything  else  ;  but 
it  is  a  mistake  which  is  only  too  frequently  made. 

As  regards  the  cost  per  ton  of  iron  which  could  be  made  at 
this  point,  running  on  several  different  mixtures,  the  following 
figures  will  show  that  profit  can  certainly  be  made.  Assuming 
that  No.  12  coal  would  be  used,  which  would  be  best,  unless 
No.  11  were  washed,  the  coal  and  ten-inch  carbonate  ore  above 
it  could  be  mined  together — say,  coal  75  cents  per  ton  as  it 
comes,  and  ore  the  same  price. 

Three  tons  coal  to  two  tons  coke  would  make  $1.12^  per  ton  ; 
25  cents  per  ton  for  coking,  $1.137^  per  ton  ;  then,  assuming  the 
use  of  two  tons  coke,  which  is  higher  than  it  should  be,  the 
coke  would  cost  $2.75  per  ton  of  iron  produced. 

The  carbonate  ore  should  be  roasted,  which  could  be  done 
for  25  cents  per  ton,  with  75  cents  for  mining  ;  this  would  make 
$1  per  ton. 

The  J.  M.  Hope  ore,  Mud  river,  could  be  mined  for  seventy- 
five  cents,  as  it  would  be  the  simplest  mining  possible,  and  a 
small  lock  and  dam  in  Mud  river  would  run  slack- water  to 
within  a  very  short  distance  of  the  bank;  the  ore  could  then 
be  taken  by  barges  to  Airdrie  for  seventy- five  cents,  handling 
again  twenty-five  cents,  making  cost  per  ton  $1.75 — say  §2,  to 
make  it  sure.  Using  a  mixture,  then,  of  one  ton  carbonate  (or 
call  it  black  band  for  distinction)  and  one  and  one  half  tons 
Hope  ore,  the  cost  per  ton  of  iron  would  be— 

Two  tons  coke $2  75 

One  ton  black  band 1  00 

One  and  one-half  tons  Hope  ore 3  00 

Three-quarters  ton  limestone 75 

Labor  and  incidentals 3  00 

Total    .  $10  50 


OF    WESTERN     KENTUCKY.  13 

To  put  this  on  the  cars  at  Rockport  at  fifty  cents  per  ton, 
and  freight  to  Louisville,  say  $1.50,  makes  $12.50  at  Louis- 
ville. The  poorest  mill  iron  would  be  profitable  at  this  fig- 
ure, whereas,  the  mixture  used  should  give  a  very  good  grade 
of  foundry  or  mill. 

If  this  mixture  did,  not  work  well,  however,  an  expert  fur- 
nace man  would  know  what  the  trouble  was,  and  would  try 
other  mixtures,  of  which  he  could  have  as  many  as  desired 
from  the  Green  River  Valley,  some  costing  less,  others  more, 
than  the  Hope  ore. 

The  Cumberland  river  ores  are  only  from  fifty  to  sixty  miles 
distant  by  rail,  and  the  freight  would  not  be  over  seventy-five 
€ents  per  ton  to  Rockport ;  transfer  to  barges  by  chute  and 
taken  to  furnace  would  cost  about  twenty-five  cents,  making 
$1 ;  and,  as  they  could  be  mined  and  put  on  the  cars  for  $1.75 
or  $2,  these  ores  would  cost  $3  at  the  furnace.  They  yield,  at 
the  lowest  average,  forty-six  per  cent,  metallic  iron,  and,  con- 
sequently, one  and  a  half  tons  would  suffice  to  mix  with  one 
ton  black  band  ore ;  then  two  tons  coke,  $2.75 ;  one  ton  black 
band,  $1 ;  one  and  a  half  tons  Cumberland  ore,  $4.50 ;  three- 
quarters  of  a  ton  limestone,  seventy-five  cents ;  labor  and 
repairs,  $3 ;  cost  at  Louisville,  $2 ;  makes  $14  per  ton  at 
Louisville  for  an  iron  which  should  bring  a  good  price  at 
Louisville. 

Using  all  Cumberland  river  ore,  an  iron  could  be  made 
low  enough  in  phosphorus,  if  the  ores  were  properly  selected, 
to  make  such  low  grades  of  steel  as  are  used  for  agricultural 
implements  and  many  kinds  of  small  articles.  The  cost  per 
ton  of  such  an  iron  would  be :  two  tons  Cumberland  river 
ore,  $6 ;  two  tons  coke,  $2.75 ;  three-quarters  of  a  ton  of 
limestone,  seventy-five  cents ;  labor  and  repairs,  etc. ,  $3 ; 
freight  to  Louisville,  $2  ;  total,  $14.50. 

Three  grades  of  iron  have  been  mentioned,  costing  at 
Louisville  $12.50,  $14,  and  $14.50,  respectively.  Now,  as- 
suming that  incidental  expenses  would  run  this  cost  up 
somewhat,  as  it  invariably  does  —  although  I  have  tried  to 
put  it  so  that  the  estimates  would  be  fair — suppose  we  add 
twenty  per  cent,  to  each  figure ;  the  iron  would  then  cost  at 
Louisville  $15,  $16.80,  and  $17.40. 


14 


IRON    ORES    AND    COALS 


These  figures  would  insure  a  profit  of  at  least  $2  per  ton, 
which  very  few  furnaces  in  the  United  States  can  make  to- 
day. 

Assuming  an  output  of  thirty  tons  per  day,  this  would  give 
10,900  tons  per  year,  at  $2  per  ton ;  profit,  $21,900  on  an  out- 
lay of  not  over  $50,000. 

Referring  to  the  Hocking  Valley  iron  region  of  Ohio, 
described  by  Mr.  Pechin  in  the  Metallurgical  Review  for 
September,  October,  and  November,  the  comparison  with 
Western  Kentucky  is  most  favorable  to  the  latter. 

The  iron  world  was  apparently  crazed  in  regard  to  this 
valley ;  for  in  a  very  short  period — about  three  years — some 
ten  or  twelve  furnaces  have  been  built  and  projected,  mines 
opened,  etc.,  at  enormous  expense,  and  one  need  only  read 
Mr.  Pechin' s  article  to  see  that  they  went  too  fast.  In  the 
first  place,  several  of  the  furnaces  were  compelled  to  blow 
out  during  the  past  summer  for  lack  of  water  for  boilers 
and  tuyeres,  etc.  The  only  real  advantage  which  the  valley 
has  is  an  abundant  supply  of  good  coal,  which  is,  however, 
no  purer  than  that  of  Western  Kentucky. 

The  ores  are  nearly  all  less  than  one  foot  thick,  and  analy- 
ses show  them  often  very  lean  and  quite  high  in  phosphorus. 

The  two  principal  ores  are  the  Baird  and  Shawnee,  the 
Baird  being  only  from  six  to  fourteen  inches  thick,  and  va- 
rying very  widely  in  quality  in  different  localities  —  metallic 
iron  from  30  to  45  per  cent.,  silica  running  as  high  as  25 
per  cent.,  and  phosphorus  from  2  or  3-10  of  1  per  cent,  to 
1  per  cent.  Shawnee  is  thicker  but  not  better,  and,  as  Mr. 
Pechin  says,  "its  exhaustion  by  the  four  furnaces  at  Shaw- 
nee is  a  question  of  but  few  years."  The  cost  of  making 
iron  in  the  Hocking  Valley,  at  different  points,  as  given  by 
Mr.  Pechin,  is — 


Thomas 
Furnace. 

Fannie 
Furnace. 

Three  tons  coal  at  75  cents              . 

$2  25 

$2  25 

Three  tons  ore  at  $2  25    .... 

6  75 

(at  $2)  6  00 

One  ton  limestone  .            

1  25 

(|  ton)       60 

Labor  and  repairs  

4  00 

4  00 

Total     

$14  25 

$12  85 

to  which  freight  must  be  added. 


OF    WESTERN    KENTUCKY.  15 

The  Baird  Furnace,  with  coal  at  the  furnace  and  ore  only 
half  a  mile  distant,  finds  the  iron  to  "cost  $13  on  paper, 
but  really  nearer  $15  on  the  cars;"  but  the  ore  is  only 
eight  inches  thick,  and  costs  $1.25  to  mine  ;  then  it  must 
be  loaded  and  hauled  half  a  mile,  and  the  iron  must  be 
hauled 'to  the  cars.  There  is  not  such  an  ore  in  the  Hock- 
ing Valley  as  the  Cumberland  river,  the  Hope,  or  the  ore  of 
Edmonson  county. 

The  coke  furnaces  of  Alabama,  Georgia,  and  Tennessee, 
making  such  grades  of  iron  as  I  have  mentioned,  can  not 
possibly  make  it  for  less  than  it  could  be  made  in  Western 
Kentucky,  and  then  the  latter  has  the  advantage  of  at  least  $1 
per  ton  freight ;  and  on  an  outlay  such  as  would  be  necessary 
at  Airdrie,  $1  per  ton  would  be  a  good  profit. 

Another  locality  which  promises  most  favorably  is  the 
district  between  Nolin  river  and  Bear  creek.  Here  is  every 
advantage  for  iron-making,  except  railroad  transportation, 
and  in  these  times  of  narrow-gauge  roads,  it  would  not  be 
impossible  to  run  a  road  through  the  region,  say  from  Grayson 
Springs  to  some  point  on  Green  river ;  or  extend  the  projected 
road  from  the  L.  and  N.  to  Mammoth  Cave,  six  or  seven  miles 
further,  to  these  ores  and  coals.  Leaving  the  railroads  out 
of  the  question,  however,  very  little  expense  on  the  water- 
courses— one  lock  and  dam — would  give  good  water  trans- 
portation, and  pig-iron  could  be  taken  to  Rockport,  Bowling 
Green,  or  Evansville,  on  the  Ohio  river,  at  a  very  low  figure. 
Slack-water  navigation  can  be  reached  by  a  tram-way  of  a  few 
miles  in  length  from  the  centre  of  this  region. 

Some  of  the  most  prominent  ores  of  this  locality  have 
already  been  mentioned  (page  6).  They  can  be  mined  for  less 
than  one  dollar,  and  by  locating  a  furnace  conveniently  for 
both  ore  and  coal,  which  could  easily  be  done,  iron  could  be 
made  at  a  very  low  figure. 

The  coal,  being  unusually  firm  and  hard,  could  be  used  raw 
to  the  extent  of  at  least  one  third,  and  as  the  vein — Main  Nolin 
coal  or  L— is  3£  feet  thick  at  the  least,  mining  could  be  done 
for  seventy-five  cents,  as  it  would  be  on  the  drift. 


16  IRON    ORES    AND    COALS 

COST    PER   TON. 

Two  tons  coke $2  75 

Two  and  one  half  tons  ore 3  00 

Three  fourths  ton  of  limestone 75 

Labor,  repairs,  &c 3  00 

Hauling  to  river  and  freight  to  Rookport 1  50 

Freight  to  Louisville 1  50 


Total $12  50 

This  region  abounds  in  the  best  timber  for  charcoal,  and  as 
the  freights  are  a  good  part  of  the  cost  of  this  iron,  a  high- 
priced  iron,  such  as  a  cold -blast  charcoal,  would  probably  be  as 
profitable  as  anything  that  could  be  made  in  the  region. 

CUMBERLAND   RIVER  ORES. 

These  ores  have  already  a  high  reputation,  from  the  cele- 
brated boiler-plate  of  D.  Hillman  &  Sons.  By  locating  a 
furnace  at  some  one  of  the  many  banks  on  or  near  the  line 
of  the  E.  and  P.  R.  R,.,  between  Princeton  and  Kuttawa, 
selecting  an  ore  low  in  phosphorus,  an  iron  could  be  made 
which  should  be  very  profitable.  The  coal  mines  are  from 
twenty-live  to  forty  miles  from  these  ores ;  and  by  coking  the 
coal  at  the  mines,  loading  it  on  to  cars  and  shipping  to  the 
furnace,  it  should  not  cost  over  $2  per  ton  for  coke.  The  ore 
can  easily  be  mined  for  one  dollar.  Then 

Two  tons  coke $ 4  00 

Two  and  one-fourth  tons  ore 2  50 

Three-fourths  ton  limestone 75 

Labor  and  repairs,  &c 3  00 

Freight  to  Louisville 2  00 

Add  20  per  cent,  incidentals 2  45 

Total $14  70 

cost  per  ton  put  down  at  Louisville  for  a  grade  of  iron  which 
ought  to  bring  a  high  price,  being  very  low  in  phosphorus. 

Although  these  are  paper  estimates,  I  feel  sure  that  they  will 
be  found  reasonably  correct,  when  the  line  of  the  Elizabeth- 
town  and  Paducah  Railroad  is  alive  with  the  busy  hum  which 
is  always  found  in  districts  producing  iron,  as  this  region  will 
surely  do  at  some  time ;  and  It  would  be  wise  in  our  State  to 


OF     WESTERN     KENTUCKY.  17 

bring  to  notice  as  much  as  possible  a  source  of  wealth  to  those 
investing,  and  one  which  would  be  still  more  a  stimulus  to  the 
prosperity  of  several  counties.  Blast  furnaces  require  the 
opening  of  coal  and  iron  mines,  and  these  require  the  labor 
of  many  men ;  these  men  must  be  fed  and  clothed,  houses 
must  be  built  for  them,  and  in  various  ways  does  the  industry 
react  advantageously  upon  the  surrounding  country.  The 
Geological  Survey  is  at  present  working  to  show  the  world 
what  sources  of  mineral  wealth  our  great  State  possesses,  as 
well  as  to  point  out  the  quality  of  her  soil,  the  character  of 
timber  which  nature  has  so  lavishly  donated  her,  and  in  every 
way  possible  to  produce  an  index,  so  to  speak,  which  may  be 
consulted  and  relied  upon. 
2 


Cal dwell, 
iiQtea  on 


K4C3 


LIBKAHItb 


ores  of  western  Ken  tuck 


alia  _ j. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


